Things Change
by Siell
Summary: Who would have every guessed? Sasuke's position as cool kid has been seized by Naruto. A little jealous, are we Uchiha? No one appreciates Sasuke anymore, no one except for the one person he least expected... SasuNaru.
1. Chapter 1

Pairings: SasuNaru, with a little NaruSaku mixed in. Don't like yaoi? Don't read! Duh.

'_Things have really changed…'_

Or so Sasuke happened to be thinking at the time. The teen lay awake in his bed, silently staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to questions that swarmed his head. He found it hard to believe that the reality of just five short years ago was the same reality of today. But, in fact, they were.

Uchiha Sasuke: five years ago, he was the rookie of the year, and an unbelievably skilled fighter. He excelled in nearly every aspect of training, easily surpassing his classmates and teammates. Other shinobi found interest in his natural abilities. He also was known for being popular among girls his age, and not just for his skills. It was like his cold, elusive nature made them ever more inclined to try to win him over. He found they just couldn't take the hint. They constantly followed him and wanted to hang out with him. They bickered and fought over him behind his back, like he was a possession or something. Especially Ino and Sakura, who seemed to have their own I'm-gonna-get-Sasuke-before-you competition of some sort.

And on the other extreme, there was Naruto.

Uzumaki Naruto: prankster, laughingstock, reject, just to name a few of his distasteful titles. The blonde boy was silly, clumsy, and rash. Many adults, especially those who knew of his rocky beginning looked down upon him and kept their children clear of his presence if at all possible. Almost no girls had romantic interests in him, and the one girl he liked detested him. Naruto, put simply, just failed at success.

So what had happened?

Sasuke had always relied on his natural born talents to see him through. He had bred strength and of course there was the sharingan. But poor Naruto had to struggle, partaking in painfully difficult training daily, just to try to keep up with the older boy. This became his way of life: training hard every day until his body could take it no more. Sasuke trained, too, but with Naruto and the rest so far behind him, he didn't stress it too much.

But natural talent only carries one so far. It was as if, after a certain point, Sasuke had outgrown his generic skills, and his progress slowed dramatically. Naruto, on the other hand, continued to get better and better, following his way of life. Before either knew it, the blonde had surpassed his elder. The new contrasts caught the eye of several nearby. Adults and elders began to show more respect for Naruto, his peers challenged him frequently and began to include him in social activities, and even girls were seeing him in a new light. The tables had turned for the worse for Sasuke.

Naruto was now the most popular boy around. Even the knowledge of the Kyuubi within him no longer frightened his friends, but rather attracted them to him ever more. In these short years, the blonde had dated several girls and, as rumor had it, perhaps even one or two boyfriends in recent weeks. But he was notoriously flighty, and rarely managed to hold onto a relationship for more than a month. Most believed there was one person Naruto was after, and he was holding out for them, though no one was sure who.

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Sasuke groggily leaned over and looked at his alarm clock. _'9:14! Shit! I'm late!' _He jumped from his bed and dressed hurriedly. He stopped shortly by the bathroom, then headed down the stairs into his kitchen. The house was silent around him, and even the squeak of the steps seemed noisy. He ate a quick breakfast, and was out the door shortly. He found no reason to linger in the barren house long.

'_I don't know why I'm rushing, I bet Kakashi-sensei isn't even there yet.'_ the teenager thought as he trudged down the dusty street. The town was already busy about their daily activities. He was soon at the bridge, the same place team 7 met every morning. He spotted his two teammates side-by-side, leaning over the railing. Then it was obvious: Naruto and Sakura were dating again. Naruto was obviously saying something funny, because Sakura was hysterical with laughter. She playfully bumped the blonde's hip with her own, to which the boy responded with the same.

Sasuke found himself taking loud, deliberate steps over the bridge, but no response came from the couple. He couldn't understand why the sight disgusted him so much; the two people who annoyed him the most, together, and away from him. Nonetheless, he found himself staring at the two, watching especially the back of the bright orange outfit.

"Haha! Yeah, where's the baka anyway? He's usu—" Naruto's sentence was stopped short when his eyes fell upon the Uchiha on the other side of the bridge. "Oh, hello there, Sasuke-kun!" the blonde continued mockingly. He then turned back to Sakura and they both began laughing again at their own jokes.

'_Dammit, they were talking about **me**!' _Sasuke felt his face become hot with anger. _'They were talking about me… and **laughing**?'_ The young ninja felt like just grabbing a kunai and—

"Good morning, everyone!" Kakashi's voice startled the three teens. They all turned in unison to see their sensei at the edge of the bridge.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're actually less than 2 hours late today!" Sakura stated, though probably not even her teacher being once again late could bring down her mood.

There were no missions available, so team 7 busied themselves with target practice instead. But since their teacher was actually earlier than usual (though still late), they were finished just shortly after noon.

Walking back across the wooden bridge, Kakashi unexpectedly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto and Sakura were holding hands and chatting happily. Sasuke walked behind them a few paces, trying to concentrate on staring at his feet. He couldn't wait to get home.

"Tonight?" he heard Sakura ask. He looked up and saw the two love-bugs had halted. Sasuke spotted three or four of Sakura's friends hailing her over.

"Tonight!" Naruto replied enthusiastically. They came together and Naruto gave the pink-haired girl a short peck on the cheek. She blushed lightly and trotted off to her friends. The mob of girls waved at Naruto, giggling before they all disappeared down the street.

Sasuke and Naruto continued walking down the lazy streets, silently. The blonde slowed his pace until he was walking next to the Uchiha. But neither said anything, and an uneasy feeling shrouded the two.

"Are you going to that party tonight?" Naruto suddenly blurted.

Sasuke was startled by the question. He hadn't heard of any party going on, which didn't really surprise him. He found himself a lot more in the dark about social activities recently. "No," he responded after a short pause.

Naruto jumped in front of the dark-haired boy, stopping his procession. "Aw, please?"

The blonde's pleading voice shocked Sasuke. He stared at the younger for quite a while, stared into the bright blue eyes. _'Naruto's so… so…' _"I've got plans," he finally answered, interrupting his own thoughts. He didn't give his teammate time to reply, because he turned to head up the stairs to his home.

Naruto's "Talk to you later, Sasuke-kun," was lost when Sasuke slammed the large door shut.


	2. Chapter 2

'_Wow! There sure are a lot of people here…'_

Sasuke stood in the doorway of the huge dance hall. The place was crowded with people about his age dancing, singing, talking, and flirting. He spotted several people he knew right away. It wasn't long before he caught sight of a head of blonde hair standing next to a head of pink hair. Sasuke peered through the crowd to see the couple. Naruto was wearing his bright orange pants, but he lacked the matching orange coat, revealing the black t-shirt.

The two stood when a popular song came on. They made their way to the swarming floor and started to dance. Sasuke forced himself to look away,

For nearly an hour, the dark-haired ninja wandered through the crowds. On occasion, a classmate would greet him, but they usually said little more than a "Hey, Uchiha." He quickly spotted the red-haired Gaara, whom he hadn't seen in years. The sand village ninja was dancing with his body up against Neji's, not unlike how Naruto was dancing with Sakura. Sasuke chuckled, but his heart felt heavy. He wanted to go home, but something forced him to stay in the presence of his blonde teammate. He leaned against a wall quietly. Suddenly, an uproar began in the corner of the room. He looked, and saw a red-in-the-face Sakura yelling at an irritated Naruto. The pink-haired girl then stormed out the door. Sasuke looked back to Naruto and, though perhaps a little perturbed, he didn't seem negatively affected by the confrontation. Within about a minute, he was back up, dancing again. Sasuke simply smiled and shook his head.

The Uchiha finally compelled himself to leave the ever-noisier party. He began to weave his way towards the door. Suddenly, something ran right into his chest, sending him sprawling on the floor. When he looked up, he noticed a shirtless Naruto laughing. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun," Naruto chuckled, extending his hand to the other ninja. _'I never realized Naruto looked so… so… so what!' _Sasuke wasn't sure whether or not he should be glad he couldn't finish that idea. Finally, he took the blonde's hand and was lifted to his feet. But Naruto held tight on Sasuke's wrist. Before the Uchiha realized what was happening, Naruto had grabbed both his hands and was dragging him around the room in an awkward, clumsy dance.

Sasuke was senseless as the two crashed through the mobs. He only vaguely noticed the clapping and laughter around him. He couldn't think, and simply let himself be pulled limply behind the energetic blonde. Finally, after what seemed forever, the song ended, as did the rowdy dance.

Naruto and Sasuke stood facing a hysterical, cheering crowd. Naruto pulled his teammate into a bow, still holding his arm. Sasuke was glad the torture was over. He never expected what Naruto would do next. Without warning, the younger boy turned to face Sasuke, and pulled him into a sloppy kiss.

The dance had left Sasuke speechless, but this simply flabbergasted him. By now, Naruto had released Sasuke and bounded off. The dark-haired ninja stood towards the back of the room, staring stupidly at nothing. Now, he decided, he was definitely ready to leave.

Exhausted and mortified, the Uchiha weaved his way through the crowd, heading for the door. He sighed as his fingers wrapped around the handle. Stepping out into the street, the early night air hit his face, making him realize how unbelievably hot the old warehouse had been. He stood beneath a flickering street lamp, his back against the brick wall, and closed his eyes. A noise nearby startled him, and he slowly peeked around the corner of the building. Suddenly, he was again thrown to the ground, and a body was on top of him.

"I thought you had 'plans,'" said Naruto from atop of Sasuke. He was smiling broadly, pinning the Uchiha's arms and legs to the ground.

Sasuke's temper flared as he struggled beneath the blonde. "Get off of me, teme!" he yelled, tossing the other off of him. Naruto sat calmly on the sidewalk, still smiling and appearing completely unaffected by the comment. Sasuke dropped his eyes to the ground, and said in a more apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, that was a really mean thing to say."

"No worries! I wanted to apologize for involving you in that crazy dance earlier. Sometimes I get so crazy, that I just lose control," Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head and laughing. Sasuke could hear the slight slur in his teammate's voice.

"Yeah," Sasuke retorted, "that'd probably be the reason you're standing out here without a shirt…" Both boys began to laugh. _'There it is again! I can't figure it out, Naruto is so…'_

Suddenly, Naruto became silent and stared solemnly into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke looked back at the blonde. They stared silently for some time, not saying a word. More than once, Naruto opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

"Yes?" Sasuke finally asked, finding he actually had to force a tone of impatience into his voice.

Naruto began, stuttering slightly, "I… um…" He then turned his head away and mumbled something, though it was unintelligible to Sasuke.

"Come again?" the dark haired teen asked. He took a step closer to the smaller boy.

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists, as if repeating himself was a feat of physical strength alone. "I really like you, Sasuke."

The Uchiha was stunned. He didn't realize that his jaw had dropped. _'Naruto's so… cute.' _The word! Yes, that was the word! Sasuke stood, paralyzed with confusion. The boys stared into each other's eyes, and Sasuke could see that Naruto meant "like" beyond just "as a friend."

Even though the air was cool, Sasuke felt a drop of sweat trickle down his cheek. For several moments, the two shinobi stared into the other's eyes, as if the glare of the other froze them in their tracks. The tension was broken suddenly, when Naruto looked away, his face glowing red. Sasuke still stood motionless, though he felt his face also become hot. With a sudden burst of fear and confusion, he turned on his heel and charged down the street towards his home. He forced himself not to look back. He did not see as the blonde boy suddenly collapsed in the street, his face in his hands.


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke sat alone on his couch, book in hand. But his mind was elsewhere, and the words on the page before him meant nothing. He had tried to concentrate on the story, but to no prevail. His head was full. What had he done? Running away from Naruto like that, how cowardly. But what else could he have done? What do you say in a situation like that? What could he have done?

He heard the old grandfather clock in the hall strike 2 and he sighed. _'I should probably be in bed. We have training tomorrow,' _he told himself. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting his mind wander. What if Naruto was here right now? What would he do? What if he knocked on the door right now?

Suddenly, Sasuke realized there _was_ someone knocking! He tossed the unread book aside and hurried to the door. He was startled by the sudden burst of cold air to his face. Before him stood a very drunk, very confused Naruto.

"Naruto! What the hell! It's…" Sasuke's thoughts were cut off when the disoriented teen fell forward, practically into Sasuke's arms. Letting the door swing open, the dark-haired ninja pulled his comrade into the foyer. The blonde lay on the ground, half-naked and completely passed out, and breathing quite heavily for some reason. Sasuke sighed, then heaved the surprisingly light body over his shoulder.

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Naruto groaned and opened his eyes. The world around him was dark and hazy. He explored his vision and found a door leading into a lighted hallway, another closed door, a window, a desk, a bookshelf… He heard breathing to his right. He slowly turned to look and saw a sleeping Uchiha sitting in a chair by the wall. Beside him on a table was a glass of water and a damp towel. Naruto stared in perplexity at his company. _Where am I? I'm not in my house. Is this Sasuke's house? How did I get in Sasuke's house? What did he do to me? Why does my head feel like a brick? Where the hell's my shirt! _Naruto's mind felt like a wasps' nest, swarming with furious questions.

Sasuke seemed to sense that his guest had awakened, for he dazedly opened his eyes to look at the blonde boy. There was a worried look on his face as he stood and hovered next to the bed. He picked up the towel and dabbed Naruto's sweaty forehead with an expressionless face.

Naruto complied with his face being dabbed only because he couldn't find the strength to retaliate. Eventually, Sasuke removed the cloth and placed it again on the bedside table. He then turned to his teammate and asked, "Can you sit up?"

Naruto stared blankly as if he could not decipher the words spoken. He opened his mouth to utter one of his many unanswered questions, but then shut it again. He nodded.

Sasuke leaned over Naruto and gently pulled him up by his shoulders, then placed the pillows neatly behind him before placing the boy's shirtless back against them. Naruto looked at his hands quietly while Sasuke arranged the pillows and sheets around him.

"Why am I here?" Naruto finally managed to mutter. Sasuke turned and looked at Naruto, who avoided eye contact.

"I don't know. You showed up at my door at two in the morning and passed out drunk on my floor. You tell me."

Naruto still only stared at his hands, though his face became troubled and pale. For several moments, he stared silently, his brow knitted in concentration. After several moments, he finally spoke, almost inaudibly, "The party. We were at the party. Then you left. And I left. And you made me mad and went home. I got drunk. I was sad. I wanted to find you. But I don't remember anything after that."

Sasuke silently watched the small blonde boy, and his face also grew pale. He felt overwhelming guilt befall him as he realized that Naruto almost died from his mistake. Sasuke almost killed Naruto! The Uchiha felt like he wanted to cry, when he noticed a small drop trickle down the younger boy's face first. Sasuke then felt compelled to look away. _What have I done! More importantly, what do I do now?_ He looked up to see Naruto wiping his face with the back of his hand. Sasuke grabbed the glass of water and handed it to his teammate, who accepted it willingly. Naruto, now realizing his thirst, downed the whole glass quickly. Finally, he turned to look at the dark-haired ninja. "I'm hungry," he stated, as if nothing had happened.

Sasuke smiled. _He's okay,_ he thought, as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Let me guess, ramen?" Naruto smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

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Sorry it takes forever for me to update. And sorry this chapter is so short. I wrote half of this in study hall today. I thought it was a good stopping point, so hopefully this will suffice until I can finish.

Thanks everyone for reading! And thanks for the reviews. They make me ohsohappy!


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuke watched affectionately as Naruto slurped up the steaming noodles. The blonde boy quickly wolfed down his meal, finishing with a contented sigh. Sasuke took the bowl from him and proceeded towards the kitchen. He returned shortly, holding a bath towel. Staring at Naruto from the doorway, he said with a slight smirk, "Naruto, you need a bath."

"What! Why!" Naruto protested stubbornly. No way was he taking a bath in _Sasuke's_ house!

The Uchiha started towards the bed slowly, replying, "You stink. Please take a bath. Don't worry, I'll be cleaning." He pulled the sheets off of Naruto and stared at him expectantly.

With a heavy sigh, the blonde ninja slid off the bed. Sasuke offered an arm for balance, which Naruto refused. Sasuke shrugged and headed for the bathroom. Sliding open the door, Naruto stepped in. Sasuke handed him the towel then stated, "Give me your pants and I'll wash them." Naruto replied with an evil glare, and shut the door. Moments later, the door reopened slightly and a pair of pants was thrust through the crack. Sasuke took them, then said, "There's soap and shampoo by the tub. Have fun!" This last comment he added with a hint of sarcasm before closing the door.

Sasuke waited in the hall until he heard the water begin to run. At that sign, he walked back to his bedroom and stripped the bed. Carrying the sheets, Naruto's pants, and his own dirty laundry, Sasuke headed back downstairs to wash them.

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Naruto let the water run for several moments, until he heard Sasuke's footsteps fade away. Then, carefully he peeked out the door. No Sasuke. He'd have to be quick. Turning off the water, so as not to flood the large bathroom, he stepped out into the hallway and trotted back into Sasuke's room. He silently opened a chest of drawers and pulled out one of Sasuke's many pair of whitish shorts. He was glad Sasuke hadn't asked to wash his boxers, too. He slipped on the shorts, only to find they were rather large on him. '_They'll have to do for the time being_' he thought.

Closing the drawer again, he looked around, contemplating his next move. '_Window!_' he thought. He darted to the window sill and easily slid the frame open. With one last look and listen over his shoulder, he hopped from the window down to the grass below. The moment his feet hit the ground, he took off running.

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_Knock knock knock_

"Naruto, are you almost done in there?" Sasuke asked impatiently. He got no reply. "Naruto! Answer me, dobe!" Still silence. With a sigh, Sasuke carefully opened the door. It was soon obvious there was no Naruto. Now throwing open the door, he rushed in and looked around. Indeed, there was no Naruto. He returned to the hallway and searched first his room, then the rooms near it. Finally, he returned to his room a second time. Then he noticed it: the open window.

"Agh! Naruto, you baka!" he growled.

'_Sasuke, what's wrong with you!'_

'_What do you mean?'_

'_I mean, you're acting really strange! This is Naruto we're talking about. Why are you so worried about him?'_

'_Huh?'_

'_Stupid. Normally, you don't like him around you, and you'd do anything to get rid of him. He's annoying and a hindrance, right?'_

'_Well… I guess…'_

'_So why are you mad that he's gone?'_

'_Because… I want to help him.'_

'_And why's that?'_

'_What are you implying!'_

_singsong voice 'You li-ike Naruto!'_

'_Do not!'_

'_Then why'd you go to the dance?'_

'_Because Naruto asked me to.'_

'_Proof!'_

'_That doesn't prove anything!'_

'_When have you ever done anything Naruto wanted you to do?'_

'……_..'_

'_Just admit it…. You'll feel better.'_

"Okay! I like Naruto! Are you happy!" Silence. Sasuke looked around the room, realizing he'd randomly yelled at nothing. With a growl, he hung his head in his hands. "What do I do?" he mumbled.

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Ok, I think I kinda borrowed the arguing-with-the-subconscious idea from another author. I just loved the style so much when I read it the first time, I had to try it. My apologies to whomever it was I stole this from, and thanks! Haha.


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